PTQ Q4 2022 Issue

Advanced software solutions: Process simulation and opti- misation software systems monitor and analyse the effect of different feedstocks and operating conditions while enhancing yield and thermal efficiency to help refineries transition from traditional fossil fuels to clean energy whilst improving margins. New business models: Traditional and new businesses such as refining, farming, and forestation are forming new alliances to restructure their knowledge base and supply chains to develop decarbonisation technologies with Scope 3 changes. Market formations: A growing number of private investors are transforming traditional refineries into renewable fuels producers to expand capacity and market share. Policy and advocacy coalitions: Lobbyists advocate on behalf of society for public policies that reduce hazardous air pollutants to improve air quality and promote public health. A Raj Patel, Senior Proposal Specialist, Haldor Topsoe A/S, rhp@topsoe.com: In the last two pandemic years, refinery closures have accounted for nearly 1 million bpd of refining capacity in the US. These refineries range in capacity from 50,000 bpsd to over 250,000 bpsd. The one market small and large refin - eries are considering and implementing is the production of renewable fuels (renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, renewable naphtha). We have designed 6,000 bpsd to 50,000 bpsd renewable units in the smaller-to-intermediate size idle refineries, and more than one-third of the 350,000 bpsd total renewable processing capacity licensed by Topsoe come from idle refineries. Idle refiners are turning to renewable fuels to take advan - tage of the incentives offered by federal as well as state gov- ernments. These include Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), Low Carbon Fuel Standard Credits (LCFS), Blenders Tax Credit, and Carbon Cap and Trade. These incentives can amount to more than $3/gal. For one of the idle refineries being revamped to renewable service using Topsoe tech- nology, these government incentives can be more than $5 million per day. Utilising an idle refinery for processing renewables is a natural fit. Compared to a standalone renewable facility, the idle refinery has a lot of equipment and facilities that can be utilised for renewable processing. A list of equipment and facilities that can be reused for renewable processing includes: • Rail, trucking, and marine facilities that can be used to bring feed into the refinery as well as send product out of the refinery • Existing facilities that can be used for required feed and product tankage • Utility facilities that can be reused in a renewables refinery • A hydrogen plant or method to bring in hydrogen, which is required for renewables processing • An existing sour water stripper and water treatment facility that can be reused for processing renewables, which will produce a significant amount of water in the chemical reaction • Pretreatment facility assets may or may not be required,

depending on the source of the feed, but some existing equipment can be utilised for this application • Sour off-gas treatment facilities, which may be wholly or partly reused in renewable service • Hydroprocessing units that can be revamped for renew- able service. Topsoe has utilised naphtha hydrotreaters, diesel hydrotreaters, FCC feed pretreaters, and hydrocrackers in idle refineries for renewable service. Converting an idle refinery to a renewable refinery is a natural fit. Q Considering the enormous amounts of thermal energy and stripping steam required for crude distillation unit (CDU) throughputs, are there any new crude oil process- ing schemes for reducing CDU operating costs? A Roberto Tomotaki, Becht, Heat Exchanger Advisor, Becht, rtomotaki@becht.com: Maintaining the crude preheat exchanger train at optimum performance. Third-party monitoring tools such as the proprietary HTRI SmartPM or Hexxcell’s Studio are two examples of industry available tools which help identify the exchanger(s) and optimum timing of the cleanings to opti - mise train performance. Once a cleaning decision has been made, the cleaning method is also very important. There have also been advancements in cleaning technology, such as ultrasonics and robotics, which return the exchangers to a rarely achieved near clean design condition. Becht’s Bundle Technology Upgrade (BTU) programme helps identify the bundle technology best suited for the current operation. Exchangers designed decades ago most likely are not the optimum design. Bundle design upgrades such as helical baffles or enhanced tubes can significantly increase the exchanger performance with relatively small incremental investment. This is especially applicable when replacing a bundle at the end of its life. A Sunil Kumar PhD, Principal Scientist, CSIR Indian Institute of Petroleum, sunilk@iip.res.in: It is reported that spirocyclic polymers with N-aryl bonds can fractionate light crude oil into light fractions consist- ing of molecules’ carbon number of 12 or a boiling point less than 200°C in the permeate and heavy molecules. The researchers say that, although additional research and development will be needed to advance this to an industrial scale, the new membrane could replace some conventional heat-based refining processes in the future by developing a hybrid energy-efficient technology consisting of membrane and distillation for crude oil refining (www.imperial.ac.uk/ news/199934/new-membrane-could-emissions-energy- refining/New membrane could cut emissions and energy use in oil refining). The application of a divided wall column (DWC) is also reported in one journal article for crude oil distillation to reduce energy consumption. However, the results have not been val - idated and compared with the actual industrial atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit (AVU) [Young Han Kim (2017): Energy Saving in a Crude Distillation Unit with a Divided Wall Column, Chemical Engineering Communications, DOI:

PTQ Q4 2022